Sunday started the same with Kim all but dragging Asuna out of bed and Asuna helping Linda with the breakfast dishes. She heard the doorbell while still washing the last dish and headed towards the living room after she finished and gave herself the once over. She was wearing jeans and a tee shirt with a j-pop band on it and hoped that would be nice enough for whatever Kim had planned for the day. She looked at her bare feet and wondered if she should have let Kim paint her nails.

She took a deep breath before entering the living room, then pushed open the door, “Hi,” she said waving. “I’m Sue. I’ll be staying with Kim this summer. We’re sorta related.” Linda had suggested that she say she was a cousin staying with them while her parents vacationed.

All three new girls waved back and Kim jumped up to hug her, “Come on, I want you to meet the three bestest girls in the country if not the world.” She steered Asuna over to the first girl who was about Kim’s height. She had brown hair, blue eyes and sunglasses perched on her head. “Sue, this Gwen. Gwen this is my cousin from the west coast, Sue. She needs some new clothes and some local friends so I figured we could take her out to the mall for the day.”

“Hi Sue! I like the hair ties,” Gwen said hugging her. “Where are on the west coast are you from?”

“Seattle,” Asuna said hugging back carefully. “I’m just here for the summer until I head to a boarding school in the northeast.”

“Well that explains why you need clothes,” Gwen said. “Summer here must be very different than Seattle or the northeast.”

“You can interrogate her later Gwen,” Kim said moving Asuna along. “I want to intro everyone first.”

“This is Maddie,” Kim said as they stopped in front of a taller brown- eyed brunette. She giggled, “She usually isn’t though. Unless I am teasing her.”

Maddie rolled her eyes and hugged Asuna, “I am glad to meet you. How are you getting along with this hyperactive crazygirl? She can be a handful even when she means well.”

“Oh yeah,” Asuna said. “She gets me at least twice a day. Apparently I’m her new favorite person to tease.”

“Then I should thank you,” says the last girl. She was a grey eyed blonde about Asuna’s height and she held out a hand to shake. Kim pouted as they shook and said, “This is Lindsay. I’ve mentioned her once or twice.” She grinned mischievously, “I think you should hug her. She absolutely gorgeous and totally already taken so you’ll never get a better chance to grab you some.”

Both girls turned crimson as she snickered and Lindsay slapped Kim’s shoulder. “Keep your voyeuristic thoughts to yourself and please try to be more careful. I don’t want everyone to find out and I doubt she does either.”

Kim hugged her and replied, “Aww hon, you know I’d never out you in public! I just tease you in private.” She smiled, “So where is the old ball and chain today?”

The blonde rolled her eyes but her tone was affectionate, “My soulmate is working today. I’m hoping to find her a birthday present actually so if you want to make it up to me you can help me find a great gift for her.”

“Soulmate huh? You two are so cute! Sure I’ll help, I also need to get Sue outfitted for at least one summer here so I’ll be working hard and I’ll expect compensation,” she said with a grin.

“I am not kissing her in front of any boys!” Lindsay said, and apparently she was dead on target because Kim pouted.

“Aww, c’mon! It got us both a date last time and straights do it all the time too. It really grabs a boy’s attention.

“I don’t want a boy’s attention,” Asuna and Lindsay said in chorus.

“Well fine,” Kim said, still pouting. “You can buy me lunch instead.”

“You find me a great gift for Mary and I will,” said Lindsay.

“Cool!” Kim was all smiles again. “I’ll just go get sis to drive us. You guys talk, I’ll be back soon.

Asuna tried to listen more than she talked but ended answering a fair number of questions before Kim came out with Linda. Soon they all piled in the car and after a short but slightly cramped ride they reached the mall.

Kim hung back a little and whispered to Asuna, “Okay, just don’t get nervous and do what we do right?”

Asuna nodded, “I can handle this.” She soon found herself having fun somewhat to her surprise. She noticed that the boys tended to stay further away when she was with the group and that made her happier. She also noticed that her taste in clothes wasn’t as “old” as Kim was telling her, or at least some of the girls agreed with her fashion choices. She was cautioned that summers in town got very hot and humid compared to Washington state and she should stock up on shorts and tank tops until she got used to it. Not able to say that she had actually moved here years ago she just nodded and took their advice.

Kim snickered, “Cargo shorts? And in camouflage patterns? I thought you were going for fashionable?”

Asuna blushed but held on to them, “I like cargo shorts. These fit better than those spandex things you found me and they have pockets. Geek girl remember? I don’t wear anything without pockets.” She couldn’t help a glance over at Lindsay who gave her a quick thumbs up.

“Okay fine but couldn’t you at least find one in hot pink?” Kim asked.

“No,” replied Asuna. She grabbed a forest green t-shirt and a few black tanktops and proclaimed herself done. “Let’s go look for Mary’s present now.”

Kim grumbled but couldn’t keep it up. Soon she was smiling and bouncing and full of a hundred ideas for birthday presents, at least half of which were very naughty.

“You guys are no fun,” she said when they shot down her last idea. “If you won't buy her a see through thong then how about a Victoria’s Secret gift card? She can buy her own.”

“A gift card isn’t a bad idea,” Gwen said. “They sell some nice things there. That could a good gift from the rest of us but Linds needs to get her something more personal.”

“I’ll chip in on the card, “ Asuna said. When they protested that she didn’t have to she added, “You all have been so nice I feel like I fit in already. So if I’m a friend I should chip in right?”

“Sure!” Kim said. “I just knew you’d fit right in. Okay so we get the gift card then we can continue shopping.” She gestured and they realized she had somehow manage to herd them to the front of the VS store.

Asuna sighed as she walked in, “You aren’t going to let me leave until I have bought something are you?” she asked Kim.

Kim smiled wide, “Nope!”

An hour later Asuna’s jean were in a shopping bag and she was wearing grey shorts with “Love Pink” on the back. “How does she do it?” She asked .

“I don’t know and I’ve been her bestie since first grade, “ said Gwen. “At least we've gotten the gift card and Linds bought her some cute pajama bottoms.”

“So what now?” Asuna asked. “We heading home?”

Gwen smiled, “Tired already? Well you'll need to build up your shopping endurance if you want to hang with us. We're just getting started!”